Separable unit cooking apparatus



Sept. 11, 1934. J TELLER ET AL 1,973,273

SEPARABLE UNIT C OOKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l u:gjl 22' INVENTOR5 Jaco TQ/Cfw BY J9. 7*?6c/7Lo ATTORNEY. W

Spt. 11, 1934. J, TELLER' ET AL 1,973,273

SEPARABLE UNIT COOKING A PPARATUS Filed Sept. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2gwbenlfo'v daco 7m a) 7? 50/941 Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES'SEPARABLE UNIT COOKING. APPARATUS Jacob Teller and Arthur P; Schulz,New York, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, tov Teller StoveDesigning Corporation, a corporation of New York I Application September3, 1931, Serial No. 561,070 I 3 Claims. (Cl. 126-39) This inventionrelates to cooking apparatus, and particularly to gas ranges having anupper table top surface adapted 'to support one or a plurality ofindependent and detachable burner units, which may be individuallyplaced in' position on the tabletop and automatically coupled with thegas supply pipes, whereby any or all of the units may be used, orreadily removed and placed in asuitable storage space, usually formingapart of the apparatus, to the end that when desired the entire tabletop may be left free for use as a table or plain top cabinet.

A further object of. the invention is to provide a cooking apparatus inwhich the burner units, when in use, occupy only a portion of the topsurface of the supporting structure, so that when said unit or units arein operation a substantial working space is provided for such uses asthose to which a kitchen table is ordinarily put. In the presentconstruction, this working space is forward of the stove or range top,permitting convenient use thereof without having to reach over a burnerwhich, in the ordinary gas stove construction, if lighted may result inthe operator burning herself, or catching fire to the clothing,

A further object is the provision of individual removable andinterchangeable units which not only include means for their ready andautomatic coupling, but are also so constructed that they areautomatically centered with respect to the gas coupling means, so thatthere is no danger of incorrectly connecting the units with the gassupply or only partially connecting the same.

A further object is to providea plurality of interchangeable units, eachcomplete in itself and,

as such, individually removable and attachableat will.

A further object is the provision of a structure in which the operatinghandles are arranged at the front of the cooking apparatus, and thusremote from the burners and, therefore, unaffected by the heat thereof,and, therefore, always cool.

These and other objects will appear to those familiar with gas stove andrange constructions, and to the housewife, to whom the advantages of thepresent arrangement will be readily apparent.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is .a front perspective elevation of the range, showing thecooking units in position on the range table top;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the range with the cooking units removed;

- marginal depending flanges by which it may be Figure 3 is a sectionalview on the lines 3-3 of Figure 1;

' Figure 4 is a. top plan view of one of the burner units;

Figure '5 is a rear view of the unit, and

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of the burner unit box,substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 4, with the burner removed.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, and particularlyto Figure l, which shows the general assembly of a range embodying thefeatures of our invention, A designates the range, which includes thefront, side and back walls 2, 3 and i respectively, and housing a plu- Irality of interior compartments, one of which, 0 as for instance thecompartment 5, may serve as the oven and broiler, while the others mayserve for storage or other purposes, as will be hereinafter shown. Theentire-front of the range is covered by a plurality of compartmentclosing doors 7, 8 and '9 respectively, the front panels of drawers 10and 11, and an upper transverse panel 12, through openings 14, in whichlatter pass the several stems 15 of valve handles 16, on the outerextremities of valve rods 1'7, the rear ends of which pass throughopenings in the rear wall 4 and actuate the several valves 18 carried bythe manifold 19. The several doors and panels are all flush and presenta plane unobstructed front surface, the outer edges thereof extendingflush with the face of the side walls 3.

The upper portion of the range is entirely covered by a rectangulartable top plate 20 having secured in position on the rangebody, as bybolts 0 21. Figure 3 shows the broiler burner 22 arranged in oven 5. Oneof the principal objects of our invention being that of providing arange which may be utilized as a table top cabinet, we provide aplurality of burner units 22, said units being shown in detail inFigures 3, 4, 5 and 6, and being adapt.- ed to be removably placed atwill in proper position upon the top 20, and automatically coupled withthe several gas pipe connections carried by the range.

Each of the units 22 comprises a rectangular metallic box-like structureformed with side walls 23, a rear wall 24, a front wall 25, having airsupply openings or louvres 25 and a preferably detachable floor plate26, connected with the side and end walls of the unit by bolts or otherfasis a back plate 33 provided with a series of open-- ings 34 throughwhich pass the gas pipes 35 cooperating, respectively, with the burnersin the several units. In view of the fact that each unit and its gasconnection is similar to the others,

a specific description and operation of one will sufiice for the others.

The unit B, which is similar-to the units C, D and E, shown in Figure 1,is provided upon its rear wall 24 with a pair of spaced studs or pins36.which, when the unit is in properly centered position, so that thetip 3'7 of the gas pipe 35 enters the central opening in the mixer 32,register with recesses 38 in the back plate-33. Such arrangement assuresa certainty of position of the unit with respect to its particular gasconnection and, at the same time, prevents displacement of the unitlaterally.

The bottom wall 26 of each unit is provided with a transverse rib 39,which cooperates with a groove 40 in the table top 20 and, as shown inFigure 3, such arrangement further assures the proper placement of theunit and prevents accidental forward movement thereof and avoidsuncoupling ofthe gas connection, except when said unit is intentionallymoved.

Each of the units is independently controlled through its owrr valve 18operated through the respective valve stem and handle 16 and 17.

It will thus be observed that We have provided a range having aplurality of top-supported burner units, each complete in itself, and inwhich anyone of the units, or any group thereof, may be utilized orremoved, and theconstruction permits of the ready application or removalof any unit or units, without the need or use of any tools orappliances, said unit or units, when removed, being placed within astorage compart-' ment, such as 9, leaving the range tabletop entirelyplain and free to be used as a kitchen worktable or as a cabinet, andproviding a structure in which general resemblance to a stove or rangeis removed.

Another advantage of the present construction is that the burner handles16 being at the front of the stove, while the :burner units are towardthe rear; are remote and never caused to be heated by the latter, andsaid units being disposed at the rear of the table top permit theforward portion to be used as a table simultaneously with the use of theburner units.

We claim:-

1. A cooking apparatus comprising a stove havupon said table top anddetachably connected with said gas conduit, and means other than saidburner and gas conduit connection for interconnecting said cooking unitand said stove top whereby accidental displacement of said unit withrespect to the gas conduit is prevented.

2. A cooking apparatus comprising a supporting structure having a tabletop surface, gas con-- nections carried by said supporting structuretoward the rear thereof, cooking units removably supported upon saidtable top surface each com-, prising an enclosure and a burner securedtherein detachably connected with said gas connec: tions,interconnecting means on said enclosure and said supporting structureindependent of said gas connection, for preventing displacement of saidunit on said supporting structure, valves for said gas connections,valve operating rods connected with said valves and extendingtransversely of said supporting structure and beneath said table top,and valve actuating handles on the forward ends of the said rods wherebysaid handles are remote from the burners.

3. A cooking apparatus comprising a combined table top and cooking unitsupporting surface, a back plate carried by said top and provided with apermanent gas connection, and a cooking unit comprising an enclosurehaving a burner secured

